Mending a Broken Heart

Dance With Me

I'm so sorry that this update is coming so late. I intended it to be out in November, but I ended up with a giant writer's block that lasted weeks. However, yesterday, as I was staring at this page, I accidentally hit the Publish button instead of Save.

I quickly unpublished it, but I have no idea if you guys got a notification or not. The idea of you guys getting a fake notification made me feel so guilty and somehow managed to kick my writer's block to the curb. That lead to new ideas on how to word this chapter and a new drive to finish it.

I wrote over 1,800 words just trying to finish this chapter so I could get it out to you as fast as possible. It's also greatest amount of words I've written in a chapter yet (over 3,200 words!) Enjoy!

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Lucy's POV

The party was quite extravagant, taking place in a beautiful ballroom with marbled floors and  gray stone walls. Red and white roses wove around great stone pillars and crystal chandlers hung from the ceiling, sparkling in the evening light. Tables were adorned with intricate ice sculptures, surrounded by endless delicacies. 

The room was filled to the brim with wealthy businessmen and nobles, each decked out in expensive clothing and glittering jewelry. They swarmed around the room, talking quietly among each other, not a single person ever raising their voice. In the center of the room were many dancing couples swirling around gracefully, the bold colors of their clothes making every movement look like a mosaic as skilled musicians played soft music. I was tempted to close my eyes and bask in the mesmerizing noise, but I kept reminding myself that I was here on a job. 

I could easily tell why Sting and I were hired as security. The cost of the jewelry on a single person here was likely to be more than enough money to last a week. If any thief caught wind of this gathering, they would definitely show up to try and make some money. 

I was currently resting against one of the pillars near the edges of the ballroom, carefully scanning the crowd for any trouble. My left hand grazed the tops of my keys, which warmed up in response. I wasn't entirely sure where Sting was at the moment, but I also didn't worry. He could take care of himself. 

So far, we had spent most of the job split up in order to cover more ground, occasionally checking in with each other. It seemed to work well as four hours had already gone by without having anything happen. The peak of the party had also long passed and I knew everything was going to wind down soon.

Although Sting and I were separated, I was nowhere from lonely. I had been approached by party-goers all throughout the night. Some noticed that I was a mage and were curious about my abilities while others recognized me as the daughter of Jude Heartfilia, and offered their condolences about his passing. I answered all of their questions politely, though it was weird to hear my father's name again after so long. It lead me to but wonder what would've happened to me if I hadn't ran away and joined Fairy Tail.

Would my father still be alive? Would I have taken over his business? Would I be at this very party, mingling in the crowd instead of watching on the sidelines?

"Well, this is boring."

I must've zoned out while I was thinking, because I suddenly hear a voice speak right beside me, causing me to jolt in surprise and I turned my head to see the familiar face of a certain blond dragon slayer. Sting was leaning on the wall next to me, his eyes closed and head tilted back, facing the ceiling.